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K2 Airways Sharjah-Karachi cargo plane crash: Crew members identified
Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the incident, and directed authorities to intensify the search efforts
- PUBLISHED: Wed 8 Jul 2026, 12:25 PM UPDATED: Wed 8 Jul 2026, 7:14 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times' live coverage as the search for the Sharjah-Karachi cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea continues]
The wreckage of the K2 Airways cargo Boeing 737 that vanished from the radar off the coast of Pakistan on July 7, from Sharjah to Karachi, has been found, the Pakistan Airports Authority said on Wednesday.
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After 12 hours of search-and-rescue operations in the deep sea, authorities successfully located and identified and recovered the wreckage 53 nautical miles south of Ormara port, on Pakistan's southern coast. Officials said efforts are still underway to find the missing crew members, it said.
The cargo was approaching Karachi when radar showed it "rapidly descending" Tuesday evening, after it reported a "navigational system issue". Authorities immediately launched a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation in the Arabian Sea to locate the K2 Airways aircraft and its five crew members.
On Wednesday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep grief and sorrow" over the incident, describing it as tragic, and directed authorities to intensify the search efforts.
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According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, Sharif extended his condolences to the families of the crew members and instructed, "the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force to intensify search and rescue operations in the Arabian Sea."
Crew members identified
K2 Airways also revealed the identity of the five crew members:
Mohammad Rizwan Idrees (Pilot in Command)
Faisal Mehmood (First Officer)
Muhammad Toufique Khan (Load Master)
Arif Siddiqui (Engineer)
Mohammad Hamid (Engineer)
What happened to the Sharjah-Karachi flight?
The Boeing 737-400 freighter was en route from Sharjah in the UAE to Karachi on Tuesday night when the crew reported a navigational system issue.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, at 9.21pm Pakistan time the aircraft was observed on radar making a rapid descent accompanied by a sharp change in heading. The last transmitted data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute — about 400 kilometres per hour — an extremely steep and abnormal rate of descent.
Flightradar24 tracking data showed chaotic final minutes as the plane plunged about 5,000 feet in less than a minute, surged back some 6,000 feet in just 30 seconds, before a catastrophic dive from 36,550 feet. Contact with the aircraft was lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
About K2 Airways
K2 Airways is a private cargo airline in Pakistan that operates scheduled and charter flights domestically and internationally.
Manufactured in 1999, the plane flew as a passenger plane for Aeroflot and Garuda Indonesia before being converted to a cargo configuration in 2012, according to Airfleets.net.
Pakistan aviation has a chequered history with several major deadly plane crashes in the past decade, including in the southern city of Karachi.
The European Union barred Pakistan's national carrier from its airspace for four years over safety and licensing concerns, but lifted the ban in 2024.
Ajanta Paul is a Senior Editor on the Digital team. A natural leader and newshound, she thrives in breaking news and high-pressure situations — and enjoys reporting on community issues that matter to UAE residents.